Thinkaloud | where’s the proof?

the only antidote to the world’s corruption

The people behind the most powerful information processing of our age - the electronic and print media - appear to have little understanding of the Christian faith and what happens in the life of a person who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord.  Media reports often caricature the faith, or edit out any references to Christianity. The result is that the values and insights which God has given to the world through Christ are either trivialized or ignored.

The world is poor enough. It cannot do without the quality of life that God has revealed in His Son through those who are committed to Him. Goodness, truth, holiness, wholeness, kindness. . . these are the qualities of life which everyone knows are what we need.  However, they are not the values which fill the TV screen and which entice people to films.  Instead there is often coarse and brutal behavior, and language of the most destructive kind. The perverse and the perverted rape the emotions and fill the mind with images that continue their deadly influence for years.

The sensational and the cheap are exploited and used by those whose only desire is to get rich by feeding the desires of people who have not yet discovered that their true hunger is of the spirit. In such an environment lust masquerades as love, hypocrisy as sincerity and lies as truth. People look for bread and are fed stones. While the media continues pumping out the glamorous big lies, spiritual famine stalks the world.

Are there no Christian writers, no Christian filmmakers, no Christian producers and directors? Are there no Christians in the media whose grasp of their craft is of such excellence that their ideas of programming and/or editorial content will be heard, so that the spiritually dying will have a window into the glorious world they’ve always dreamed about?

Must it always be?
Truth forever on the scaffold,
Wrong forever on the throne.

There are people in the media whose lives have been changed by the power of Christ and who now give their allegiance to Him. But often Satan, that master of deception, has managed to convince them that they have no business trying to “push their values” in a pluralistic society. Surely the Christian view has a right to be heard in the marketplace of ideas. While Christians usually do not try to force their ideas on others, they must maintain the right to have their views accepted as valid and indeed contributory to a society that has grown from Christian roots.

Let Christians begin to speak out, let them be the salt of society; let them unashamedly maintain that their views are not old-fashioned or irrelevant.  And by the quality of their lives and the excellence of their work, the sceptics will be convinced, or at least silenced.

The only proof that belief in Jesus Christ “works” is changed lives. If the power of God and the joy of the indwelling Holy Spirit have no real place in the life, then words are less than useless, they are damaging.  However, the joy of the Lord shining brightly where no light has ever shone is the glory of the gospel. And it is the only antidote to the corruption that is engulfing the world.

Writer: Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell Ryan is a former Editor in Chief in Canada and the UK. In retirement he is a copy editor of theRubicon and the author of theRubicon series called Resurrected Writers.

2 Comments to Thinkaloud | where’s the proof?

1. Are there no Christian voices in the media?

   Unfortunately the ones that get reported are those who aggressively push views about homosexuality, abortion, Iraq/Israel, etc - and fail to acknoweldged the nuances and complexities of the situation. At times either the reporting or their actual views give Christians a bad name. Those who work in the media then have barriers to overcome just to be heard as reasonable, thoughtful and caring folloers of Christ.

   We need to pray for the Christians in the media, but we also need to rasie our heads above the parapet and speak with reason and compassion.
   To do so takes time - and often the most caring and committed are so busy doing for God in our various ministries that we do not have the time to prepare and speak publicly in a way that is going to advance the cause of Christ.

   Lord, help us to pray for Christains in the media - and to be willing to raise our voices to present a grace-filled Christian perpespective.

   Thanks for bringing this issue to our attention again.
Graham Roberts on November 30th, 2008

2. Good thoughts.

   My personal mission is to use:

   Entertainment as the Platform for Evangelism and Education.

   (as my name starts with E… I’ve used 3E’s in my mission statement… what I’m saying here is using the highly visual language of the prevailing culture for the purposes of intentional disciplemaking)

   I’ve felt a calling for years… and sense a movement has been in the works for some time now. God has been raising up men and women with skills, passions, talents, spiritual giftedness, personalities and live experiences that CAN have a huge impact on our culture.

   A close friend has suggested that we’re moving into a new age… an age of the “digital A I R” (digital OPEN air if you will)

   I like this idea… as Salvationists we have a heritage that has been about grabbing the culture in such a way as to speak to their hearts. We have done this in the form of “Heart to God, Hand to Man”… I believe too much of where we’re arrived today has been a clinging to of the past… and not enough of pushing into our future.

   Movies, TV, Magazines, Books, the Internet, Live Events… these are HUGE influencers within the prevailing culture.

   I agree… please… continue to pray for those of us that have a calling to use these tools… pray that more hearts would follow the still small voice deep inside us that is leading us to use these tools for intentional disciplemaking!

   imMEDIAtely yours,

   Errin Hogan
Errin Hogan on June 11th, 2009

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